Bible Study · Gospel Parallels 204
Why a stranger invites you to eat, and what Jesus did when the Pharisees set a trap at the table
Hello, my dear friend. Today’s topic: religious people are the worst. That’s right.
Have you ever been invited to eat by a stranger? I know you have. I did. Most of us have.
You might say, “Well, a free meal is a free meal, right?” If you are like me, I love food.
But here is the question. Why will a stranger invite you to eat?
“There are only two reasons why a stranger will invite you to eat. They want something from you, or they want to put you down.”
Jesus at the Pharisee’s table
Luke 11:37-54 is a long reading. Your homework is to read the whole thing. Here is the first section:
After Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee asked Jesus to eat with him. So he went and took a place at the table. But the Pharisee was surprised when he saw that Jesus did not wash his hands first before the meal. The Lord said to him, “The washing you Pharisees do is like cleaning only the outside of a cup or a dish.”
The same teaching appears in Matthew 15:1-9 and Mark 7:1-9.
Think about it, my friend. At this point in the Gospel, the Lord Jesus is doing miracles everywhere. Speaking the truth. Multiplying fish and bread. But there are several people who don’t like Him very much. They have their own scheme. They want to get rid of Him.
That’s a horrible thing to think about. People wanting to get rid of somebody who is doing only good things for the community.
It still happens
It is just like in these days. Why would people be against a preacher? The Apostle Paul lived it. Many people throughout the history of Christianity have lived that experience.
And to be more specific: in your own circle of friends and coworkers, some people may be just against you. Sometimes they plan schemes to put you down.
The scheme is ready before you arrive
They were watching the Lord Jesus from the moment He stepped into that place. What was He doing?
Today, some people with schemes might be recording you or filming you. The scheme is already in place before you arrive. That is why the first question was, why did you not wash your hands like we do?
Five times: you are in trouble
In verses 42, 43, 46, 47 and 52, the Lord Jesus said, “You religious people are in big trouble.”
Five times. You don’t repeat things just because. Think about that famous sermon, “Blessed are those…” He repeats it because He means it.
My personal impression? The Lord Jesus never ate at all. The questioning began before the meal.
Don’t waste your time arguing
Personally, I avoid wasting my time. Particularly arguing with someone when I already know it is not going to go well.
If I am invited to a serious, professional debate, where there are rules, at a university or on a show, I might go. But going somewhere just to argue? I will not do it.
“Only my Lord Jesus has the endurance to deal with such people.”
Why did Jesus go, then?
Because He knew about their scheme. He came just to tell them in their faces the truth about how disgraceful and evil they are. And I like that very much about my Lord.
What to remember
First, schemes coming from religious people, or from people who want to use the rest, are very well planned. It would not be a surprise if they wrapped the scheme with a meal. So be careful.
Second, if you are ever in a situation like this, remember that the whole point is to catch you saying something wrong. Like my father used to say to me and my siblings, six kids in the house:
“You look so beautiful when you are quiet.”
One last smile
A religious man prayed, “Lord, give me patience.” Suddenly his children started arguing and fighting all over the house. So he prayed again: “Lord, I meant patience, not a practical demonstration.”
Remember, my friend, the Lord Jesus died for you. Open your heart and receive the blessing of having your name written in the Book of Life, just by believing that He is the Son of God.
Share this with someone who needs clarity.
Read along
Scriptures in this study
Jump to
Key moments
- 00:00Intro
- 00:38Luke 11:37-54
- 01:33Last week and today
- 01:52Why will a stranger invite you to eat?
- 02:32Only two reasons
- 02:55Not everyone liked Jesus
- 03:40Why people are against a preacher
- 04:21When people are against you
- 05:11The scheme is ready before you arrive
- 06:09Five times: you are in trouble
- 06:25Why Jesus repeated Himself
- 07:05Don't waste your time arguing
- 08:06Only Jesus has that endurance
- 08:33Why did Jesus go?
- 08:54What to remember
- 09:34Beautiful when you are quiet
- 09:48A little humor
- 11:21The Book of Life
Questions this study answers
Questions & answers.
Why did Jesus criticize the Pharisees in Luke 11:37-54?
A Pharisee invited Jesus to eat, then was surprised He did not wash His hands first. The Lord said, "The washing you Pharisees do is like cleaning only the outside of a cup or a dish." Dr. Gian points out that in verses 42, 43, 46, 47 and 52 Jesus told them again and again, "You religious people are in big trouble," and He repeated it because He meant it.
Why would a stranger invite you to eat?
According to Dr. Gian, there are only two reasons a stranger will invite you to eat: they want something from you, or they want to put you down.
Why did Jesus go to the Pharisee's house if it was a trap?
Because He knew about their scheme. Dr. Gian believes the Lord Jesus never even ate, because the questioning began before the meal. He came to tell them, to their faces, the truth about how disgraceful and evil they were.
Should I argue with people who only want to argue?
Dr. Gian avoids it. He might accept a serious, professional debate where there are rules, but going somewhere just to argue with someone who he knows will not listen is a waste of time. Only the Lord Jesus has the endurance to deal with such people.
How can I avoid falling into someone's scheme?
Remember that schemes from religious people, or from people who want to use others, are very well planned, and they may come wrapped in a meal. Their whole point is to catch you saying something wrong. As Dr. Gian's father used to tell his six children, "You look so beautiful when you are quiet."
Full transcript Read
00:00Intro
Hello my dear friend, welcome to our episode 204, today October 7th, 2026. The topic of today is "Religious people are the worst." That's right! And there are several passages of the scripture, you see the different sections. This is a long reading my friend, but we are not going to read the whole thing, that will be your homework. I'm going to read just a section in the Gospel of Luke, and we read in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Please Lord, guide us through this study. Amen. Thank you, Jeho, for the scripture on
00:38Luke 11:37-54
the screen. We read in Luke chapter 11, the whole reading is from the verse 37 through 54. I am going to read just one section. Alright? And here is the reading. After Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee asked Jesus to eat with him. So he went and took a place at the table, but the Pharisee was surprised when he saw that Jesus did not wash his hands before first before the meal. The Lord said to him, "The washing you Pharisees do is like cleaning only the outside of a cup or a dish." Oh, listen, if you read the whole thing, you will get the whole idea, but I will give it to you simple. Okay? What happened
01:33Last week and today
here? Last week, we talked about how your eyes will lead you, lead your life and the outcome of your life. Right? Okay, today you are going to learn about the schemes of religious people. And here's the first
01:52Why will a stranger invite you to eat?
question. Why will a stranger invite you to eat? You have received invitations about that, right? I know you have. I did. Many people, most of us. The stranger inviting you to eat. You might say, "Well, a free meal is a free meal, right? If you are like me, I love food. Yeah, unless it's something disgusting, I will eat it." But the question is, why will a stranger invite you to eat?
02:32Only two reasons
You know, there are only two reasons why a stranger will invite you to eat. They want something from you, or they want to put you down. Hmm. Have you realized at this point, as we are reading the passages of the scripture, the Gospel,
02:55Not everyone liked Jesus
the Lord Jesus is doing miracles everywhere. Speaking the truth, multiplying fish, bread, many miracles. But there are several people that don't like Him very much. They have their own reasons. They have their own scheme. Well, they want to put Him down. They want actually to get rid of Him. You know, that's a horrible thing to say, to think people wanting to get rid of somebody that is doing only good things for the community. It is just like in these days.
03:40Why people are against a preacher
Why people will be against a preacher. The Apostle Paul lived it. Many people throughout history in Christianity have lived that experience. You probably know about that. And if you just pay attention, close attention to what's going on in the world around you in your city, you will see that there are people that are just so much against certain preachers. And to be more specific, it's possible that in your circle of acquaintances, including friends, coworkers,
04:21When people are against you
some people are just against you. And sometimes they plan schemes to put you down, to get rid of you. That is just a horrible thing to say. And the truth is these people, these Pharisees, these religious people, that is what we are discussing today, how religious people are so good in making their schemes to do what is wrong. They have all this very well planned. You know that they were watching Him from the moment that Lord Jesus put the step on that place. They were just looking at Him. What was He doing? Now, do you realize that sometimes when some people have schemes,
05:11The scheme is ready before you arrive
they might be recording you or filming you. They have the scheme already in place before you arrive. And that is why the question was, why did you not wash your hands like we do? What is very, very good from our Lord Jesus is that in five moments during the time that He was there with them, my personal impression is that the Lord Jesus never ate at all. And why do I think that? Because when I read the whole passage, which I think you should read it, it says that before He eat, before He was about to eat, the questioning began, the arguments begin. Well, the point is
06:09Five times: you are in trouble
in verses 42, 43, 46, 47, and 52, the Lord Jesus said, "You religious people are in big trouble. You are in trouble." Five times.
06:25Why Jesus repeated Himself
When you think about the number of times the Lord Jesus repeated things, in that famous sermon when He says, "Blessed are the ones, blessed are those, blessed is when He repeats that." It's because He had a meaning. Repeating. You don't repeat things just because. You don't say the same thing just because. It's because you mean it. Imagine five times, five times, you religious people are in trouble. Personally,
07:05Don't waste your time arguing
I avoid wasting my time. I just don't do that. But particularly when it's about arguing with someone that I already know is not going to go well. If somebody wants to talk with me, a serious conversation, a debate. If I was invited to a show, online, in person, whatever, even to a company, to a theater, to a, let's say, university, anything that is serious and professional, I might go where there are rules to have that debate. But going to a place just to argue with someone that I already know is a waste of my time, I will not do it.
08:06Only Jesus has that endurance
Only my Lord Jesus has the endurance to deal with such people. Only He can do something like that. Let me tell you. But even at the end, my friend, they tried to catch Him saying something wrong. That's why I'm telling you this. I don't think the Lord Jesus actually did eat with them.
08:33Why did Jesus go?
But the question is, why did He go then? Well, because He knew about their scheme. He came just to tell them in their faces the truth about how disgraceful and evil they are. And I like that very much about my Lord. Now when it's about what you have learned today,
08:54What to remember
remember this. Schemes coming from religious people or people that want to use the rest are very well planned. You can easily get into a trap like that. And you know what? It will not be a surprise if they wrapped the scheme with a meal. So be careful about that. And second, if for any reason you are in a situation like this, remember that the whole point these people are trying to get is to catch you saying something wrong.
09:34Beautiful when you are quiet
So like my father used to say to me and my siblings, six kids in the house, you look so beautiful when you are quiet. So now let me share with you a little bit of humor.
09:48A little humor
A religious man prayed, Lord, give me patience. And suddenly his children started arguing and fighting and all the scales in the house. So he immediately prayed again and said, Lord, I meant patience, not a practical demonstration. So two people were discussing faith. One said, I never worry about anything. I leave it all in God's hands. The other person asked, even your responsibilities, especially those, is much safer there. A little boy whispered during church. What does it mean when the pastor says, let us pray? And the mom said, he's going to ask something to God. So the kid says, well, I pray that the sermon is going to be short. Kids in church are beautiful during the services, even in Bible studies. They say the most funniest things sometimes and well, sometimes can't be an issue with the loudness and how obnoxious some kids can be. But the thing is, church, like families, we need to keep developing that faith, developing those kids, and it's
11:21The Book of Life
beautiful. Remember, my friend, that the Lord Jesus died for you. Open your heart and receive the blessing of having your name written in the Book of Life, just by believing that he is the Son of God. And that the Holy Spirit is going to welcome that of you. Here is our message, 204 of the series Gospel Parallels. I hope that you enjoyed it. And with all these platforms, always look for a moment of reflection in God's word.
Transcribed from the video and lightly corrected. Spoken words are kept as Dr. Gian said them.